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What is the difference between Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switching ?

Cisco Switching

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Question added by Deleted user
Date Posted: 2017/12/14
Mohammad Shahjad Ali
by Mohammad Shahjad Ali , Lead Associate , GENPACT

Layer 2 Switches are manageable switch it sends the packets to the destination of MAC address.

Layer 3 has also Manageable Switch but it has unique features like Routing & Switching and It sends the packet to the destination of IP address.

Amir Adam
by Amir Adam , Sr. Network Engineer , SBM (Saudi Business Machines)

The L2 switch does switching only, It maintains a MAC address table so that it can remember which ports have which MAC address associated.

But the L3 switch means that it has an identity from the L3 layer. This means that a L3 switch is capable of having IP addresses and doing routing.

For intra-VLAN communication, it uses the MAC address table. For extra-VLAN communication, it uses the IP routing table.

Mohamed Aymen Daieb
by Mohamed Aymen Daieb , Internship Technician , SOTETEL

Traditional switching operates at layer 2 of the OSI model, where packets are sent to a specific switch port based on destination MAC addresses. Routing operates at layer 3

babar sadiq
by babar sadiq , Admin Manager , High Achievments

A L2 switch does switching only. This means that it uses MAC addresses to switch the packets from a port to the destination port (and only the destination port). It therefore maintains a MAC address table so that it can remember which ports have which MAC address associated.

A L3 switch also does switching exactly like a L2 switch. The L3 means that it has an identity from the L3 layer. Practically this means that a L3 switch is capable of having IP addresses and doing routing. For intra-VLAN communication, it uses the MAC address table. For extra-VLAN communication, it uses the IP routing table.

Kripasindhu Ghosh
by Kripasindhu Ghosh , Consultant Network / Network SecuriKty , Capgemini Technology Services

Layer 2 switch support only Layer 2 protocols but Layer 3 support bothe Layer 2 and Layer3 protocols ( Routing ans Switching). 

Swalih Amal
by Swalih Amal , Network Administrator , Bsoft

layer 2 switches can do only swithing

on layer 3 switches we have the fecility to do both switching and routing

Aws Haqi
by Aws Haqi , Data Communication Engineer , Newroz Telecom

layer3 switching depend on IP address, two broadcast domain or more. 

layer2 switching depend on MAC address, one broadcast domain. 

Douglas Chenjerai
by Douglas Chenjerai , Regional IT Infrastructure and Security Analyst , Universal Leaf Tobacco Company

Layer 3=Routing + switching, Layer 2=Switching

Sibin Thomas
by Sibin Thomas , Network Security Engineer , Masafi Co LLC

layer 2 switch only uses mac address of switch in its mac table to switch the packet. routing not possible with layer 2 switch. layer3 switch has got both routing & switching function done in specalised hardware. hence supports routing as additonal with switching

Charles Okafor
by Charles Okafor , I.T Support Officer , Cardoso Catholic Community Foundation

L3 this is the TCP/IP layer were we can find   the "inteligent device" liked routers and these uses IP addreses to connect to the other networks. This is were the Broadcast domain takes place.

L2 this is TCP/IP layer were we can find the Switches  and Hubs and Bridges,these are less inteligent devices.this is were the collision domain occurs. 

Abdullah Alkalbi
by Abdullah Alkalbi , Internet infrastructure Development and Security , Communications and Information Technology Commission

L2 have info Of MAC addresses. its common in local area network to discover MAC addreses of the other devices. L3 has IP addresses so it can get to another local area network or to the server provider to get the required info 

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